


Traveling Ink

by Drosana



Series: Brand is a Thirst Trap [1]
Category: The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards
Genre: Brand isn't as subtle as he thinks he is, Denial of Feelings, Feelings Panic, Getting Together, Intervention, M/M, Miscommunication, Multi, Pre-OT3, Rune thinks his prank is fun, brief mention of dirty talk, it's not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:14:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23747398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drosana/pseuds/Drosana
Summary: Addam is rich enough and fun enough that when he got tattoos, he also paid the extra so that they'd be magically infused. Sometimes when he sleeps with someone, one or two of his tattoos will latch onto his partner(s). When an especially significant one clings onto Rune, it's time for a discussion with Rune's beloved companion.Pranks, sleepy bois, and miscommunication abound!
Relationships: Addam Saint Nicholas/Rune Saint John, Brandon Saint John/Rune Saint John, Slight Addam Saint Nicholas/Brandon Saint John
Series: Brand is a Thirst Trap [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710667
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Traveling Ink

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to Eggloru for beta'ing for me!  
> The idea of wandering tattoos during sex was thrown on the discord by Astrumiel, so also credit to her.

Addam had absolutely warned him ahead of time. Of course, Addam had warned him about _everything_ that could _possibly_ come up during and after they slept together, just so Rune would have no surprises. It didn't even happen the first time they had sex. It's not like they were in bed together frequently anyway, what with schedules, saving the world, young ones in the house, and Rune simply not being a Horny Dude. So the warning had nearly faded from his memory by the time it actually did happen, and Rune woke up with familiar ink sunken into the soft skin on the inside of his hip. Any lower and it would have been scandalous, but as it was, the rounded shield knot sat just above the waistline of his pajama pants when he threw them on quietly. Addam's tattoos were infused with magic, not on the scale of a sigil, but a living extension of himself in ink, and they had a habit of getting attached to those he slept with - much like the man who wore them. It wasn't a big deal, it would eventually migrate back to its rightful place on Addam's skin the next time they had sex, whenever that was, and it would basically be inert until then anyway. Just simple, unmoving ink. Rune admired it for a moment, but it didn't look all that great looking at it upside down. Besides, Addam had probably already been up for ages, so that meant coffee might even be waiting for him once he left the bedroom. With high hopes, he walked out, yawning and stretching groggily, as a mischievous thought crossed his mind... 

"Hey Brand?" He called out softly, trying to think of the most puzzling things possible in order to press an idea of confusion across their bond. How Queenie does it all, why Addam was so dang attractive, _taxes_ , anything.

"It's noon and you're just getting out of bed, I _let you sleep in. Why_ are you bothering me?" his companion asked as he came into view. Rune could barely hear him over another yawn as he stretched, pulling his arms high and behind his head so he could stretch and scratch his head at the same time. 

"Do you remember anything from last night?" He asked, sleepy confusion lacing his voice. "We all went out for drinks, right..?" He knew Brand had split easily a half-hour into their bar-night. But he didn't need to remember that right now. For a split second, he felt Brand's concern spear through the bond before warping into shock and then.. _something_ followed swiftly by _panic_. Then, nothing. Well, that was...concerning.

"I've got to go." Brand muttered stiffly before stomping towards the front door and heading out. Rune wanted to stop him, to ask if he was alright, but the door slammed shut before he could even open his mouth.

Maybe he just needed some space.

\-----------

Brand tried _very hard_ not to run out of the front door at a dead run when he saw the tattoo settled easily on Rune's hip. Right next to the V. Dear gods. He'd say he did a pretty good job, if he were asked. But he was not asked, because people were actively moving out of his way as he jogged down the sidewalk. He'd already done his morning run, but frankly, he needed to burn some energy right now. He'd harbored a crush on Rune for...forever, really. It wasn't a big thing, just...he loved Rune. He always had and he always would, til the day he died. It was just a fact, a law of his own making. He never regretted loving Rune, but sometimes it could be difficult. Like when the love of his life walked around looking cute and sleepy and disheveled and shirtless and _tattooed_. He had dealt with the first four in any number of combinations many a time - but the tattoo was new. It was... _fuck_. Brand's heart was in his throat just thinking about it, and he tightened his hold on the bond more securely as images of tracing the lines of the knot with his tongue filled his thoughts. 

"Fuck," he said aloud. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck". He did not know Rune could be _more attractive_. That seemed unfair. That seemed like cheating. The universe was cheating. This was bullshit. First it throws him a lovable, capable idiot who is not only _literally_ the most gorgeous man in his generation, but kind and funny and his best friend, and then the universe _ALLOWED HIM TO GET A TATTOO?_ No. No! Unacceptable, unfair, bullshit. He wanted to speak to management. He knew he should be more concerned about the fact that Rune had a tattoo and no memory of how he got it, but the knot looked well-aged and familiar, and something deep inside Brand knew it wasn't a threat. So he allowed himself his love-stricken panic and he lapped the block two, three times. God he wanted his mouth on it. _Fuck._

After several more laps, and several more curse words, Brand's blood had finally begun to settle. He had outrun his lustful haze and forced himself to focus. There was nothing he could do about his feelings for Rune, but he _could_ get to the bottom of the tattoo mystery. Addam was with Rune all night, they had come home together, they had slept - Brand cut off that line of thinking before he could have any more mental images that required another few laps around the block. No, focus. Addam wouldn't have let any harm come to Rune, and Rune looked otherwise intact and unchanged. No funny eye colors or strange behavior, or weird feelings from the bond. But Addam wouldn't have let Rune get so drunk that he didn't remember anything, or make any permanent decisions like that while drunk. No, Rune wasn't drunk last night. Brand may have left early, but Addam wouldn't have slept with Rune if Rune was in any way intoxicated. Brand trusted him that much. So the memory loss was the major issue here, not the tattoo. The only way to get to the bottom of his was to talk to the witness, Brand supposed. With one last settling breath, he returned to Half House. 

Last he saw Addam, he was in the kitchen, but by the time Brand had returned from his impromptu run, only Rune, reverently nursing a mug of coffee like it was the only thing in the world he loved, was in the small space. 

"Where'd Blondie go?" he asked, acting like he hadn't just run out of the door with no warning half an hour ago. Everything was fine, and normal, and Rune holding his mug in both hands with a content little smile was definitely not adorable as all hell. 

To his credit, Rune didn't act as if Brand had done anything strange this morning and just shrugged. "Last I heard Quinn wanted to show him something out back. Are you feeling better?" 

"It's just been a weird day," Brand sighed. "The memory loss and random tattoo aren't exactly normal, so I wanted to do a check on our perimeter". Oh boy was that a lie. But he hadn't let up his stranglehold on the bond either, so even if Rune might want to bet money that it was, he probably couldn't prove it. 

"Oh fuck, that? No Brand, that's-" Rune started, but Brand wasn't going to sit around and watch Rune try to assuage his concerns, so he just patted Rune's shoulder once, reassuringly, and headed out back to go see his witness. 

"Hey, Addam!" Brand waved as he stepped out on the back lawn. "C'mere a second". He tried to make it sound friendly, but he'd never been very good at that, and it ended up coming out commanding. Thankfully, Addam was more than used to Brand's flavor of friendly by now and simply crossed the grass to meet him.

"Is something troubling you, Brandon?" He asked calmly.

"Well for one you keep fuckin saying Brandon. That's problem one. Problem two is that Rune has a tattoo. Problem three is that he has no memory of the tattoo, or last night in general, past us getting drinks. That's three fucking problems I have right now, Addam. And you can solve at least one, and maybe even more if you try real hard". 

\--------

For a second, Addam was taken aback. The tattoo was not news to him, he spotted it on Rune's skin earlier that morning, long before Rune himself had woken up. "You are...upset by the tattoo?" He had not expected Brand to be territorial like this. "Perhaps I should have expected this, with how you left us at the club last night. "

"Oh so it's my fault now, because I left?" Brand cut in, hostility in his voice.

"Brand." Addam stopped him with a look. "I did not mean to imply you had done anything wrong, you are entirely entitled to your feelings. I simply did not expect you to take it this badly. But to more pressing matters, you say Rune does not remember last night? Because I spoke to him this morning and he made several references to our evening. When did you discern he had lost his memories?"

Brand seethed for a moment. 'Feelings? Taking it badly?' Addam had basically implied he failed as a companion! But beyond an uppercut, the best way to combat that was to prove him wrong, and to prove him wrong he had to play along. "When Rune woke up this afternoon he asked if I remembered anything from last night, cus he didn't. And then I saw the tattoo. Rune didn't have any tattoos yesterday. Did you let him get one while he was _drunk_? That's all I'm trying to understand here. I'm not mad he has a tattoo, I just want to know how the fuck he got it with no memory." He licked his lips, chapped from the long exhale of fading anger. "I trust you Addam. That's why I'm so concerned about this. What if something marked him?"

Understanding crossed Addam's expression like clouds parting to blue skies. "Brand. There has been a… miscommunication. I believe our Hero was playing a trick on you. Perhaps as ah...payback, for leaving us last night. We had missed your company." 

Brand scoffed "I felt Rune's lust through the bond. You two were going to end up in bed, and I wasn't about to third wheel. So I let you guys get your date night in. You're welcome, actually. But you're telling me Rune was just bullshitting about the memory? But the tattoo-"

"The tattoo is mine, Brand."

It took a few moments. More than a few, though Brand will never admit it, to put a piece of the puzzle together. "I _knew_ it looked familiar." But it still didn't make sense. "Did you guys get matching tattoos? Because that is lame as hell, I need you to know that. I might vomit just from how cheesy it is. I'm lactose intolerant you know."

Addam couldn't help the low chuckle. Brand's sense of humor was always amusing, especially as he tried to deflect his genuine feelings. But Addam saw, and Addam knew. "Perhaps we should go somewhere more private. If my interpretation is correct, this little prank was Rune making his move, but I'd like to make it more clear to you. If you don't mind?"

Dread settled in the pit of Brand's stomach. Something about the knowing look in Addam's eyes made him feel a little too seen for comfort, but he acquiesced and followed the blonde down into the basement, sitting next to him on the bed. 

"Rune did not go to a tattoo parlor last night. He received the tattoo from me." For emphasis, Addam pulled up the cloth of his shirt to show the missing hole where the round knot had previously resided on his skin. "My tattoos tend to become… attached, shall we say, to my bedpartners at times. It is nothing harmful and will return to me the next time we have sex. The magic in the ink simply likes to wander at times. Rune has, to my knowledge, full memory of last night. I know this because he and I spoke of our night together after you left, including what I said to him in bed, and how it relates to the tattoo that made its way onto his skin."

Brand flushed. "Ok, ok, I don't need details," _God did he want details_. "Rune played a shitty prank and I panicked over nothing, good to know, thanks for clearing it up Blondie, but I think I'm-"

"It's a shield, Brandon". 

Brand stopped, hands pressed into the mattress as he nearly pushed himself away from the bed - frozen by those words. He couldn't possibly be implying…

"The knot is a shield, Brand. And you are his shield. That tattoo was relevant to our night last night because we spent the entire time speaking of you."

"Wow, did me leaving really ruin your night that badly? Rune just can't shut up about me I guess" he forced a laugh. There's no way Addam could be implying what he sounded like he was saying. There was no way.

"While we did miss you," Addam's warm smile melted into something absolutely _wicked_ , "we did make up for it by talking about you. Talking about how you looked at the club, with jeans painted on and heels that made your legs go on for miles. Talking about what you would do if you were in bed with us, where you would hold Rune, what words you would speak into his ear. You are his shield, Brandon, but you are so much more than that. My tattoo called to his skin because his skin, his heart, is calling for his shield. Are you going to answer?" 

Brand made a conscious effort to close his mouth before he caught any flies. This couldn't be real. He stayed silent.

"Rune does not know how you feel on the matter," Addam admitted. "But I do. I see how you look at him. And to be completely honest, I am not without my own desires for you, Brand. I have laid my cards on the table, but I believe going forward you should speak to Rune on the matter. I can inform him that I've ah, spilled the beans, so to speak. You have danced around each other for too long, and I was under the impression that Rune had explained my 'wandering tattoos' to you ahead of time. I apologize." 

With that, Addam left the basement, leaving Brand screaming internally. Addam wanted him? _Rune_ wanted him? What? Distantly, he could hear Addam explaining to Rune what he had just blown Brand's mind with as they spoke above his head. Never before had he been more thankful that the bed was below the kitchen. Hesitantly he loosened his grip on the bond as he listened. He could feel the embarrassment, the nervousness, the...love and _want_ Rune felt as Addam revealed what their dirty talk had consisted of last night. And he felt, right before he heard, Rune's determination to find Brand. "I need to see him" echoed in Brand's ears and in the bond as Rune stormed the basement steps, only to come to a halt at the doorway. 

"I can feel it". Brand croaked. "Addam wasn't pulling my leg. You...he was serious." He almost couldn't look Rune in the eye, somehow fearful that the contact would break this dream apart and he'd be left in his bed alone, waking up from a wish ungranted. But he made himself. He opened up the bond more fully, so Rune could feel all the things Brand was too scared to voice, and looked his scion right in the eye. He couldn't speak his feelings yet, but Rune would Know. In an instant, Rune was at his bed, arms wrapped around Brand's shoulders. 

"I shouldn't have messed with you. I didn't know how to come out and say 'hey we fucked last night thinking of you, because we want you and love you and - fuck Brand, I've always loved you and I...I don't know, I was too chicken to be direct. That was wrong of me. I'm sorry I scared you."

Brand's voice was all wrong, hoarse with words he still couldn't speak. But he could at least get this out, this one wish, this one want. "Prove it, dipshit." And slowly, with plenty of time for Rune to back out, Brand let his lips rest on Rune's. Rune didn't back away. Rune sunk further in, kissing Brand with all of the emotion overflowing through the bond. All the love, the want, the friendship. Rune kissed Brand with _everything_ , and Brand drowned, willingly, in it all. 

**Author's Note:**

> So does anyone want the club scene and the uh.."after-club" scene? cus I might...


End file.
